The Silent Artist, Demanding Attention

The silent artist
Softly works
With one color only
O'er the sleeping earth

Children awaken
Eyes bright with cheer
Adults awaken
Lost plans, new fears

No escaping our notice
Opinions are made
Masterpiece of wonder
Or canvas of jade?

Thank You, Lord, for this food and this day!

I have really been enjoying food more than ever these days. Something is different with this pregnancy, all the other pregnancies undermined my efforts in the kitchen, but this pregnancy seems to be enhancing them. Hooray! And Jason is enjoying being part of the kitchen revival, which makes it that much more enjoyable. The kids are still happiest when macaroni and cheese is on the menu, but when it is made with real noodles and real cheese, as opposed to instant from a box, or made with "cheese products", and served with home canned stewed tomatoes and venison meatloaf it still meets my criteria for the kitchen standards these days. This week's (and a few days extra) supper menu includes:

~Corn Pone Pie and beets (and old standby actually)

~Some of Pap's delicious fish - baked and seasoned with a touch of lemon and herbs, steamed limas, and fried potatoes

~Venison steaks (not sure if they were compliments of Snyders or Showers, but thank you both!)
baked potatoes, and artichoke gratinata (recipe from Giada De Laurantiis, who has become my favorite Food Network chef)

~Cheddar Chowder and homemade WW biscuits

~BBQ chicken, baked green beans with homemade garlic white sauce, pasta salad with diced avocado (I didn't save the seed, but our avocado tree that we planted from a seed last year is still doing great!)

~WW pizza from scratch with home canned tomatoes, italian herbs, and three cheeses (real cheeses of course), applesauce

~Reuben burgers on gourmet buns (our own sauerkraut is an awesome touch), and broccoli alfredo

~Lasagna (I have a great recipe that does not require boiling the noodles first, but still has that wonderful "from scratch" appeal), Ceasar salad

~And last but not least... the aforementioned mac and cheese with stewed tomatoes and venison meatloaf


Christmas cookies make for a lovely seasonal dessert! Fruit slushies have been on the list of must haves these days also, fresh squeezed oranges and lemons added to frozen raspberries is a fabulous high vitamin C treat on these dry, virus filled days of winter....


It probably doesn't qualify as a gourmet menu, but it sure makes the kitchen smell good, and the house feel warm and cozy, and fills our bellies, and nourishes our spirits!